1
as in hissed
to make a sound like that of stretching out the speech sound \s\
with their satin costumes swishing, the little ballerinas chasséd onto the stage
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in flapped
to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions
the horse's tail swishes after every jump
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Recent Examples of swished
There was plenty of experimentation, too, seen via the shimmering tops in punchy shades like Big Bird yellow and flaming vermilion red, and the tinsel skirts that swished in all directions as models walked to a custom soundtrack by the British artist Steve McQueen.
—
Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
The video of serene waves that swished behind the curved stage at the start of Dua Lipa’s concert slowly intensified until the tide became a surge, an appropriate analogy for the pop superstar’s arrival in the US for the first time in more than three years.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
But just as Indiana was on the verge of cutting the lead to a single possession, Powers fouled Clark’s former Iowa teammate Kate Martin on a 3-pointer right in front of Indiana’s bench and the second-year guard swished the shot to erupt the Chase Center crowd.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2025
Chalmers swished the wide-open corner 3, giving Miami the target score of 50 and causing a wild celebration in which his teammates mobbed him on the court.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2025
This reminded me once seeing an elephant with a bunch of flies on its backside getting swished away by its tail.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2025
Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
The video of serene waves that swished behind the curved stage at the start of Dua Lipa’s concert slowly intensified until the tide became a surge, an appropriate analogy for the pop superstar’s arrival in the US for the first time in more than three years.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
But just as Indiana was on the verge of cutting the lead to a single possession, Powers fouled Clark’s former Iowa teammate Kate Martin on a 3-pointer right in front of Indiana’s bench and the second-year guard swished the shot to erupt the Chase Center crowd.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2025
Chalmers swished the wide-open corner 3, giving Miami the target score of 50 and causing a wild celebration in which his teammates mobbed him on the court.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2025
This reminded me once seeing an elephant with a bunch of flies on its backside getting swished away by its tail.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swished
Verb
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Getting hissed off So here’s a thing that happened.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Nineteen hours after departure the train took its final breath, hissed and braked into the historic port of Narvik.—
The Editors,
Outside,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Moytoy flapped his lips fast like an engine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Aug. 2025
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Cunha, sitting on the turf, flapped his arms when Mbeumo failed to follow in for a tap-in.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Replays suggested that Woltemade had flicked the ball in.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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The old reservoir flicked at the edge of my consciousness—like hearing your parents fighting but not grasping the stakes.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As Houston started focusing more on eliminating shots around the basket, Atlanta swung the ball around the perimeter and created easy 3-point looks that drew frustrated timeouts from Udoka on multiple occasions.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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In the 2022 and 2024 cycles, pro-Israel groups swung into Democratic primaries, spending money against progressive critics of the Jewish state and keeping several out of Congress.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Her hand twitched from the heat.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
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My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower.—
Maggie Downs,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Memories and childhood tokens bobbed and broke apart.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
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But unlike Yamamoto—whose second straight 10-K one-hitter was wasted—Verlander bobbed and weaved and lollipop-curved the lineup to death.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Her tail wagged with excitement at the new territory.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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Hope then asked to hold the pup, who has curly sandy-colored fur and wagged her tail as the 6-year-old held her in her arms (with a little help from her mom).—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Travis jerked open the door and slid on his butt down a wing that was on fire.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
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The president starts out by making a visit to Liberty Arena to play basketball with some school children, then gets jerked away when the crisis happens.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swished. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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